Henry Stewart - May 10th

Joel, the casa padre for Daniel, Anthony, Kevin and I, prepared a delicious breakfast for us this morning. This included a scrambled egg skillet including green beans, chorizo, and carrots, in addition to the fresh pineapple, and mango that has been served for breakfast every day thus far. Following breakfast, the 20 Horizon Students met at the bus then rode over to the Jose Martí Centro de Estudias Martiana. RJ gave his lecture on a topic of Global Leadership, delving into the specific lesson regarding “The Willingness to Engage”. This lesson began with addressing our psychological thought processes on weighing risk, and in turn how we utilize fear and anxiety as tools in the decision-making process. Furthermore, we discussed cognitive tools to consciously use when facing choices at varying risk levels. Specifically, we brainstormed multiple hypothetical scenarios that any of us could run into while being in Cuba, and how to properly recognize and navigate cultural uncertainties that fuel stress and anxiety. This class, in addition to Josh’s introductory lecture the day before, engaged the entire Purdue Horizons class, and delivered a strong, impactful message.

Following this class, and the subsequent coffee break, we gathered for a group reflection and debriefing session. These debrief sessions are for us to comfortably discuss any and all questions or concerns any of the 20 of us have regarding our experience thus far in Havana. Following the debrief, the hopped back on the bus for our group lunch at La Lucesita. This extremely well prepared lunch included 5 family style dishes: A shredded cabbage dish, arroz congrí, yucca, chicken, and swordfish. The swordfish was particularly delicious, but the entire meal was perfect, and the conversations I had with several other Horizons students made this lunch very enjoyable.

The end of lunch around 3 pm marked the end of our planned activities for the day. Up to this point in this Maymester study abroad course, we have not had this much free time in one block of time, so we could get creative as to how we spent our several hours until dinner at 7 pm. To kick off this free time, we went to an open-air market in downtown Havana, full of the bartering, and hustle and bustle of Havana. Then, a group of us walked to the Malecón (the road bordering the ocean) where we got a candid picture next to a waterfall landmark. For the coming hours, we enjoyed walking across the Malecón, and the accompanying intense sunlight and fresh air. We then stopped into a chocolate shop for a quick break from the Havana heat, and finally then took a taxi ride back from Old Havana to our Casa. This convertible taxi ride home was a very relaxing and memorable experience. 

Posing next to waterfall along Malecon

One of many taxis common across Havana